Dear Fifth Grade Parents,
The Gerstell Academy physical education curriculum has as its basis the component of physical fitness. All
students are encouraged each year to pass the highest level of the Presidential Physical Fitness
Challenge. Each student’s progress is recorded, with improvement in personal fitness as the goal. This
Presidential Challenge has age appropriate standards that are supported and strengthened by the other
skills, fundamentals, game situation and health issues that are part of the curriculum.
Lower School physical education encourages students to develop movement concepts such as body
awareness, spatial relations, time, speed, force, and flow. Children learn rules that are necessary for fair
play; the right to participate in a safe and healthy environment; the right to be treated with dignity; and
the right to have fun through physical education. Experiences respecting the physical development and
talents of each child encourage discovery of abilities and capabilities.
THE FOLLOWING UNITS ARE TAUGHT:
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Soccer
Flag Football
Field Hockey
Presidential Physical Fitness Pre-Test
Ultimate Frisbee
Basketball
Volleyball
Team Handball
Floor Hockey
Lacrosse
Track & Field
Softball
Kickball
Tennis
Presidential Physical Fitness Test
LEADERSHIP INTEGRATION:
Listen: to teachers, coaches, officials, and
teammates
Express Appreciation: to the efforts of
coaches, officials, and opponents
Action: 110% effort and determination
Do The Right Thing: play fair
Example: demonstrate
Resourcefulness: ideas, equipment, and time
Sincerity: sportsmanship and respectful of
others
Hope: being positive and it is not over until
the final buzzer
Instruct Others: encouragement, cooperation,
and teamwork
Perseverance: never giving up and saying “I
can’t”
The basic rules and concepts are taught in each of these units. However, modified rules may be used
while playing to encourage maximum participation and skill development for all skill levels.
Student will be taught:
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Movements without the ball.
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Staying in position and learning about spacing on the field and court.
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A variety of defenses (zone vs. man-to-man).
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“Leave it as you found it or better.”
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The Rule of One:
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Perform one random act of kindness
Learn one new fact or term
Compliment at least one person
Sincerely,
Roxanne Cannaday
Kristen McAfee
Fifth Grade Science
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our fifth grade families. The year is
off to a great start and I am thrilled to be working with your children in Science. The
fifth grade class meets twice a week, on Wednesday and Friday. My goal is to provide as
many opportunities for scientific exploration as possible. We will do this through
experimentation, demonstrations and discussions. Students are encouraged to
demonstrate their leadership in the classroom as they learn how to ask questions and seek
answers to those questions, respect each other’s ideas, work collaboratively, and discuss
the science leadership portraits.
Our units of study this year will be as follows:
 Chesapeake Bay/Nautical Science (this includes the Skipjack field trip on
September 23rd)
 Weather & Climate
 Intro to Chemistry
 Solar System
 Science Fair (this includes two long term projects- details to follow)
 Puberty
Fifth Grade Science students are required to bring their journal and folder to class on our
scheduled meeting days. Homework will be assigned to the students weekly. Should any
issues or concerns arise throughout the year, please do not hesitate to contact me at 410861-3000 x 1310 or email me at [email protected].
Thanks,
Mrs. Snider
The Gerstell Academy Library
Curriculum 2014/15
Carolyn Cherry, Librarian
~IMAGINATION~
The role of the Carolyn B. Smith Library at Gerstell Academy is to equip the
students with the skills to navigate and succeed in ever changing paper to
technological environment. By utilizing critical thinking skills and problem-solving strategies,
each student is encouraged to work to reach their full potential to reach
their personal reading and information goals. Students are also encouraged to use
their imagination by thinking, dreaming, and wondering.
All weekly classes are integrated with books relating to Gerstell Academy’s Leadership
Principles and Attributes, seasonal, current event topics, and new books. Library visits involve
listening to stories, a lesson or research, book selection, check out, and quiet reading time.
Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten
Picture books and stories
Puppets
Songs and movement
Poetry
Basic concept of author & illustrator
First Grade
Basic Concept of
 Author & illustrator
 Character
 Setting
 Plot
 Fiction/Nonfiction
 How books are organized in the “E” section (Easy picture books)
o Alphabetical order
Poetry
Caldecott Award study (award winning books for artwork)
Oral storytelling/listening skills
Basic understanding of location of library materials
Second Grade
Caldecott study
 Block painting, oil painting, cartooning, collage, watercolor, pastel
Introduction and discussions of various authors
Identifying the difference between fiction and nonfiction
Oral storytelling/listening skills
Basic understanding of location of library materials
Third Grade
Basic Computer use (with guidance)
 Use of the computer lab for basic research skills
 Ability to identify resources to meet information need
 Understanding and use of our OPAC – our online catalog
Thinking Skills
 Understanding theme
 Understanding problems/solutions
 Critical thinking
Dewey Decimal System
Basic understanding and usage of research materials
Oral storytelling/listening skills
Basic understanding of location of library materials
Fourth Grade
Computer (with guidance)
 Use of the computer lab for research skills
 Ability to identify and evaluate resources to meet information need
 Understanding and use of our OPAC – our online catalog
The author’s voice
Characteristics
 Individuality, sparkle, personality, liveliness, emotions
 Taking chances with something new
 Writing is for self & audience
 Communicate to a specific audience
 Critical thinking
Dewey Decimal System-using the catalog to locate materials
Genres
Characteristics
 Awareness of language
 Awareness that there are different ways to say things
Good understanding and usage of research materials
Oral storytelling/listening skills
Fifth Grade
Computer (with guidance)
 Use of the computer lab for research skills
 Ability to identify and evaluate resources to meet information need
 Understanding and use of our OPAC – our online catalog
Literary Skills
 Reading for information
 Cause and effect
 Making judgments
 Critical thinking
 Vocabulary development
Genres
Confidence in understanding and usage of research materials
Oral storytelling/listening skills
Manners Luncheon
Book Cart
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Library Materials
Library cards are kept at the circulation desk
One week is the usual circulation time unless more time is requested
There is a bin in every classroom for the return of library materials
Proper care of library materials is expected and appreciated
Gerstell Academy Lower School Music with Mrs. Daly
Pre-K- This is just the beginning of the music learning process. We will be following the Musikgarten Cycle
of Seasons Curriculum which is full of wonderful games, songs, stories, poems, and patterns. We will use our
imagination while visiting the farm and the fair. We will discuss the seasons, and explore the day and life of
the animals.
K- Now that we have had a year of introductions to musical concepts through song, we will explore the
Musikgarten Music Makers Curriculum. We will sing about My Home Place, The Woodlands, and The
Cattail Marshes. These lessons delve into a deeper understanding of what we began the previous year.
1st - We will continue the Musikgarten Music Makers Curriculum from last year by discovering The
Seashore, The Meadow, and My Neighborhood. Then we will be introduced to the British Isles through
song, dance, instruments, and stories. But, most importantly, we will begin the process of reading music.
2nd – We will continue with Musikgarten’s Music Makers Around the World Curriculum by learning about
the Amerindians, Germany, and the African American Heritage. The students will refine their music
reading skills through singing and playing, and by the end of the year, they will have learned all 50 of the
United States in alphabetical order.
3rd – Graduating from the Musikgarten Curriculum, third grade will now take music to the next level of
independency when reading musical notes. We will learn the correct terminology of music in English and
Italian. The students will create and dictate music, learn by sight and sound the sections of the orchestra,
and learn how to play the recorder. This is the year that the Tubano drums are introduced and carried over
into the Fourth and Fifth Grades.
4th – Because of their hard work on the recorders, the students are now at a level of reading music that we
can expand our repertoire. We will write our own accompaniment to songs through ostinati and chord
progressions. Our rhythm will be challenged when writing dictation and singing on solfege, and we will
begin reading key signatures. The Fourth Grade also gets to perform with the Hand Tone Chimes in
December.
5th – Fifth Grade will continue what they have learned these past 6 years as they sing more advanced music
and read music written for the Hand Tone Chimes. Their leadership will shine in the Winter Concert in
December, and as expected of any 5th grader in the State of MD, they will be singing in 2 part harmony.
The students will also prepare the chimes and perform a song for the 5th Grade Celebration.
Leadership within these classes:
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Listening to the music, stories, and poetry
Action in movement and handling the instruments
Do the right thing sharing instruments
Instruct others when leading in song
Perseverance when challenged by a musical obstacle
#6 Approaching the music with passion
#7 Work to reach their full potential
2014-2015 Music Programs are on Friday, December 19th AND Wednesday, April 1st
Family Concerts coming up with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Duke Ellington's Nutcracker
Saturday, December 6th, share in the spirit of the
holidays with Duke Ellington’s dazzling
reimagining of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.
This jazzy piece will delight the entire family with
the “Peanut Brittle Brigade,” “Dance of the
Floreadors,” and more!
African-American Innovators
Saturday, February 21, join the BSO in celebrating
the contributions of innovators such as Duke
Ellington and Harriet Tubman. Featuring music
by Villa-Lobos and Ellington along with AfricanAmerican spirituals, this program honors the
impact of innovation on our collective history.
Mr. Smith's Composition
Saturday, March 21, Marin Alsop brings her
unique touch to the BSO family series, leading the
orchestra in this delightfully humorous program.
Gregory Smith’s Mr. Smith’s
Composition takes the audience on a journey
into the mind of Mr.Smith as he composes. This
program also includes selections from Beethoven’s
Fifth Symphony.
Remarkable Farkle McBride
Saturday, May 2, Young Farkle McBride is a
musical genius who plays the violin, flute,
trombone and drums with incredible skill.
Experience an orchestral adaptation of actor John
Lithgow’s mesmerizing children’s book, where the
fickle, yet lovable Farkle brings the sounds and
rhythms of the orchestra to life.
PS- Mrs. Daly is going to be performing with the BSO this season as a chorus member of the Lyric Opera
Baltimore. This Fall the Lyric is doing Madama Butterfly, which is a very famous love story by Puccini:
November 7 and 9, 2014. Students and parents will get to enjoy the opera while playing:
“Where’s Mrs. Daly!?”
Dear Fifth Grade Parents,
You may wonder how much your child is capable of understanding and creating in the art room. It is
important to remember that art is very different from our core subjects. We do not have set rules and
methods that must be followed in the creation of our independent works of art. Our main purpose is to
encourage your children to be creative, and to be able to express themselves through their work. There are
no right or wrong answers in art. However, along with this form of self-expression, there are some important
fundamentals that will be covered.
Throughout this school year and during their time in the lower school art program your children will
learn about the essential parts needed to create an effective piece of artwork. Some of the most important
things that we will cover in fifth grade will include all seven of the Elements of Design: Line, Shape, Texture,
Color, Form, Value and Space. We will create various types of artwork in many different types of media, we
will cover proportion and its importance in creating an accurate replication of an unnamed object, and we will
use perspective to illustrate the illusion of depth. We will discuss artists as leaders and talk about important
qualities of various pieces of artwork. We cover the Gerstell Academy Leadership Principles and Attributes
in class through discussion as well as by applying them to the process of creating art. In addition, the Gerstell
Academy Leadership Principles and Attributes are the foundation for our classroom routines and our
expectations for classroom behavior. They are reinforced as we view each other’s artwork, as we take care of
our supplies, and as we transition from one activity to another. We will also use cross-curricular studies in the
art room to coordinate with the classroom teacher in order to emphasize the importance of what they are
learning. The students will be creating approximately one art project per month, so you should not expect
something to be coming home every week. We also, enjoy displaying the artwork of our students in the
hallways of our school. This means that you may not see a completed project come home right away. We
want everyone to be able to enjoy the art that your child has created.
The fifth grade students have the opportunity to complete art enrichment throughout the school year.
One way for your student to do this is by creating artwork for the Artist of the Month bulletin board located
on the 1st floor of the RESH building. The students are encouraged to bring in their personal artwork that has
been created outside of class time to be displayed. The bulletin board artwork will be rotated at the beginning
of each month. Another way for your student to complete enrichment projects is to purchase an art
sketchbook that they would use to draw in throughout the school year. The sketchbook could then be turned
into me each trimester for comments and critiques. Please email me for sketchbook ideas if your student is
interested in these types of enrichments.
Art should be exciting and fun. The children will be using many different media this year including
paint, clay, and more. So, make sure your children have their smocks. Get ready to see first hand the
expansion of their creativity and imagination in art!! Be sure to treasure their special gifts and expressions
throughout the year!
Mrs. Valerie Estes
Lower School Art
5th grade
August, 25 2014
Buenas Noches y bienvenido a Gerstell academy.
Hola, my name is Yania Martinez. I teach Spanish from 1st through 5th grade. I was born in Cuba
and my native language is Spanish. It will be a treat to see the children back! I am amazed, both
at their growth and ability to remember so much of what we have learned.
In the Lower School the program focuses on oral communication that the children can use
readily to play games, to obtain what they need, to greet each other and to communicate about
their immediate world. Written language is introduced in a natural fashion as the children label
their projects and listen to books.
Leadership is an integral part of our class as the children learn our Gerstell Academy Leadership
Principles and Attributes while listening to stories, commentaries, poems, and songs.
Our Lower School program embraces the National Standards for the Learning of Foreign
Language and the five goals: Communication, Cultures, Connection, Comparisons, and
Communities. Our objectives for our students include:
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Understanding Spanish through physical and contextual clues.
Demonstrating their understanding through physical responses.
Developing basic vocabulary in order to participate in classroom routines and activities in
Spanish.
Students engage in conversation, provide and obtain information, express feeling and
emotions, and exchange opinions.
Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topic.
Students present information, concepts and ideas to an audience of listener.
Becoming acquainted with major cultural days and celebration.
In many ways learning a second language is a lot like learning our mother tongue. It is a process
that starts by listening to sounds that have no meaning at first. Children listen, watch and imitate
sounds. Communication becomes the motivator and drives future learning. I will prepare the
students for the future, both nationally and internationally, to understand both the language and
the culture.
This year we will be using the text book Realidades A with is based on the belief that the
purpose of learning Spanish is to communicate with the people who speak it and understand their
culture. It is designed to help our students achieve that goal by getting them to communicate
right from the beginning.
This program includes the following:
Unit # 1 Para empezar (To begin)
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The school ( en la escuela)
In the classroom (En la clase)
The weather (El tiempo)
What do you like to do? (Que te gusta hacer)
Describe people ( Describir personas)
Unit # 2 Mis amigos y yo (My friends and me)
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Que te gusta hacer? (What do you like to do?)
Y tu, Como eres? (And you, how are you?)
Unit # 3 La escuela (The school)
 Tu dia en la escuela (your day at school)
Each chapter (tema) has a classroom theme project.
This encourages students to prepare products and presentations directly related with the Chapter
(tema). These projects help students to practice their vocabulary and grammar, and allow them to
use their knowledge of Spanish in a meaningful way.
I strongly believe that your child will receive the best education possible when you and I work
together as a team. I look forward to working with all of you and your children and I am very
positive that this year will be a fantastic year in the Spanish program.
Muchas Gracias
Senora Martinez.
Lower school Spanish
[email protected]
Lower School Technology - 2014-2015
Greetings Lower School families!
I hope you and your children had a wonderful summer and were able to get some well deserved
rest. My name is Ms. Rachel Smith and I am the Director of Lower School Technology here at Gerstell
Academy. I am very excited to work with your children this year and look forward to helping them to
better utilize their computer and tablet skills. The children demonstrate their leadership skills in the computer lab every day through peer instruction, oral presentations, critical thinking, classroom conduct,
and leadership portrait studies. The Lower School technology curriculum aligns with the National Education Technology Standards and the Maryland Technology Literacy State Standards which are recognized
by the MSDE. The basic standards are listed on the back of this sheet.
The philosophy of the Gerstell Academy technology department will influence and enforce
my goals in the computer lab classroom. With the support of Gerstell Academy’s mission and leadership philosophy, the goal of the technology department is to teach students 21st century skills in order to effectively function in a global society. The students of Gerstell Academy will be at the forefront of a generation where these skills are paramount.
In the computer lab the students will be using a variety of software to supplement and reinforce the technology curriculum. A few major programs include Pixie, Frames, Share, Microsoft
Office Applications, Gimp, Google Earth, Lego Wedo Robotics, and Windows Movie Maker. We will
also be using multiple web-browsers and online collaborative tools including OneDrive and Google
Drive. These programs, websites, and accounts will be introduced to each grade according to ability
and understanding. Each class meets in the computer lab twice a week, once for technology and
once for the Dreambox online math program. Every grade has an internet safety unit. I encourage all
parents to be aware of your child’s activities online and remind them of dangers inherent in using
the internet. Grades 3 through 5 will occasionally have homework assignments to practice and apply
skills learned in the lab. During this academic year, I will continue to investigate new opportunities in
the field of technology in order to provide the best education for your children.
In an effort to incorporate project based learning and STEM ideology (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Math), each grade level will not only be using computers but will be applying critical
thinking skills to build machines, structures, and test hypothesis in order to problem solve with authentic experiences.
I look forward to meeting you this year and hope your children will enjoy their time in the
technology classroom! Feel free to contact me at anytime if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Ms. Rachel Smith
[email protected]
Standard 1 - Technology Systems - Develop foundations in the understanding and use of technology systems.
Standard 2 - Digital Citizenship - Demonstrate an understanding of the history of technology and its impact
on society, and practice ethical, legal, and responsible use of technology to assure safety.
Standard 3 - Technology for Learning and Collaboration - Use a variety of technologies for learning and collaboration.
Standard 4 - Technology for Communication and Expression - Use technology to communicate information
and express ideas using various media formats.
Standard 5 - Technology for Information Use and Management - Use technology to locate, evaluate, gather, and organize information and data.
Standard 6 - Technology for Problem Solving and Decision Making - Demonstrate ability to use technology
and develop strategies to solve problems and make informed decisions.
All grades will be working on several basic skills throughout the year including: typing skills, internet safety, saving
documents properly, utilizing the Dreambox online math program, curriculum based websites, computer problem
solving skills, navigation, presentation skills, research, and citation skills. More advanced skills are taught in 3rd
through 5th grade including email skills and etiquette, online collaboration, basic programming concepts, website
building, and video editing.
Technology Resources for Gerstell Academy in 2014/2015
Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Smith and the Gerstell Academy Parents’ Association, we have upgraded technology
resources for use in the computer lab and in Lower School classrooms to supplement curriculum and integrate technology throughout all subjects.
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Dreambox - We will continue using this valuable resource to supplement the Everyday Math program in Kindergarten through 5th grade. The program is adaptive and will provide lessons and instruction based on your child’s
skill level. It is also available on the iPad on the App store. If you have issues getting into your child’s account
please email me. You will receive further information about Dreambox from your classroom leader.
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iPads - This year we have a cart with 16 iPads that we will be using in all grades to supplement instruction, collaborate in real time, and for instant feedback from students. I am very excited to integrate them into the classrooms regularly and utilize educational Applications. We will continue using the Surface RT tablets to address
both Microsoft and Apple operating systems.
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PebbleGo online Database Grades K-3 - This database has three sections: animals, biographies, and earth and
space. The database is perfect for younger grades as there is an option for the student to be read to if they are
still struggling with reading skills. It is wonderful to find basic information and the biographies section is full of
portrait leaders. The website is www.pebblego.com. Our username and password are gerstell/school.
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Projectors - In order to support our new language arts curriculum, there will be projectors available for use in
every grade level.
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Brainpop/BrainpopJr - The Lower School will continue using Brainpop to supplement curriculum in all grade levels. This is an excellent resource with kid friendly videos and resources in numerous curriculum areas.
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MinecraftEdu - We will continue using the Educational version of Minecraft to complete cross-curricular projects, practice math skills, reinforce the importance of online etiquette, and to explore physics and engineering
concepts.